Regarding the NYT 7/10/10 Editorial entitled “After the Flotilla”: As regrettable as the death of 9 Turkish citizens may be, the premise of the editorial - that there should be an inquiry by an “impartial international body” to discern Israel’s guilt or innocence in the flotilla affair – ignores the fact that Israel was indisputably within international law to place a Naval embargo around Gaza. The outcome of Turkey’s attempt to breach the embargo was clearly to create an international incident, and the videos and other evidence clearly show that the entire flotilla and Turkish passengers were pre-prepared for a violent encounter whose outcome was unpredictable.
Israel has agreed to conduct an internal investigation which I am sure will be more impartial and larger in scope than other ”impartial” U.N. investigations into recent Israeli military actions. The “Goldstone” report into Israel’s defensive war in Gaza was a 175 page anti-Israel tirade, ignoring the obvious and predictably demonized Israel. Another U.N. investigation would surely end up with the same conclusion.
Israel’s Navy operates under the same international codes as that of U.S., Britain, France or Russia – none of whom would ever subject their Navies to a hostel international inquiry, especially when there were no legal grounds.
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